Search - Terror of Frankenstein on DVD

A haunting film

Crypt | Arkham | 02/12/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I would rate this 4 1/2, leaning towards 5 stars. This is a really visually and stylistically beautiful film, not to meantion a haunting experience. There are images within this film that will stay with you for years. This is not a fast paced "mad-scientist" movie as most would expect. This film captures the morbid/melancholy/gothic atmosphere of the original book almost perfectly. In fact it is virtually taken directly from the book with only a few minor details altered. The performances are very natural and very European giving it a sense of believability that most Frankenstein films lack. The morbid, filthy, and atrocious nature of Frankenstein's experiments are expressed very well in a series of shocking and disturbing scenes. The creation scene is played out very much the same as it was written in the book. We're really not quite sure exactly how the monster is brought to life. If you're familiar with the original story, there really isn't much difference. A couple elements in the story are condensed, but that doesn't really take away from the film overall. The framing of Justine is left out and the death of Frankenstein's father is implied rather than shown. The cinematography is beautiful and the atmosphere is intense. Leon Vitali is excellent as the tormented, remorseful Victor Frankenstein, but Per Oscarsson steals the show as the monster. Oscarsson, a specialist in neurosis plays one of the most impressive monsters in a Frankenstein film. There is something very unnerving, unnatural and disturbing in the way he moves, looks and even talks. Just as it would be with an artificial man. He's less hideous than disturbingly unnatural. Oscarsson expresses the monster's alienation from the human race in a very subtle, yet heartbreaking way as we watch him go from innocent child, to bloodthirsty, vengeful monster. Overall if you enjoy Gothic melodrama this is your bag. Definitely worth seeing for it's faithfulness to the original text."

The Most Faithful Translation from Book to Screen

Michael R Gates | Nampa, ID United States | 02/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This 1997 Irish/Swedish cinematic interpretation of the Frankenstein tragedy is more faithful to Mary Shelley's original novel than any version filmed before or since, including the overblown 1994 Kenneth Branagh production that purports its faithfulness by using the name of the novel's author in its full title. While TERROR OF FRANKENSTEIN (a.k.a. VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN) is obviously a low-budget un-Hollywood film and does not, therefore, have the same slick-and-shiny production quality of the better-known 1931 James Whale film or the aforementioned Branagh version, the well-written, faithful screenplay and the superb talents of actors and director make it, in many ways, superior to all others.Those familiar with Shelley's novel already know that it is an allegory that plays on many levels. On the surface, Dr. Frankenstein's blind obsession with learning to create life and the consequences of his success can be viewed as a cautionary tale, warning the self-important intellectual of the dangers of presuming upon the realm of God. On a deeper level, Frankenstein's rejection of his creation and the creature's consequent reaction is allegorical to the contention that often exists between father and son, especially when the father disapproves of the son's ideals or lifestyle. Deeper still, the creature's attempt to reconcile with his creator--at least to some degree--reflects the Biblical story of Mankind's original fall from grace and subsequent attempts to regain favor with God. In at least one of the introductions that she herself wrote for various printings of FRANKENSTEIN, Shelley suggests that all these themes are, to some extent, woven into the narrative of the novel. And unlike many other filmic interpretations, all three of these concepts are also at work on some level in TERROR OF FRANKENSTEIN, making it an accurate thematic reflection of the original work.TERROR OF FRANKENSTEIN also reflects the novel's depiction of the creature as an intelligent and articulate being, which is very unlike the usual dumb, lumbering brute that most other filmic interpretations offer up. Not that the monster isn't ugly, because he is certainly that--a gruesome, rheumy, jaundiced-looking giant, much like Shelley described. But rather than simply a fright-inducing Hollywood gimmick, his ugliness symbolizes the chasm between a father and son or, in a Biblical sense, the Sin that caused God to oust Mankind from the Garden of Eden. (Though this combination of intelligence and physical ugliness was also a characteristic of Branagh's 1994 film, the make-up in TERROR OF FRANKENSTEIN is much less flashy and pretentious. The creature's appearance serves the story, not the other way around.)This film is a must-see for fans of the Frankenstein mythos, especially those devoted to the original novel. But the general filmgoing audience should also enjoy it, as the acting is fantastic (and in non-dubbed English, by the way) and the directing superb.The DVD from Wellspring Media is basically a no-frills disc, the only extras being trailers. It offers the film in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and though the film does look like it has been digitally cleaned up--i.e., there are few (but some) scratches or dust artifacts--it has not been "restored." The color is sometimes off (e.g., there are times when the snow looks yellowish instead of white), and the shadows are generally not a deep, crisp black. However, the price is reasonable and the disc is still quite viewable, and being that this is a lesser-known foreign film, this is likely the best that will ever be offered.Condensed review: Five-star movie, faithful to its source material; three-star DVD quality."

The best of all frankensteins

Michael R Gates | 05/02/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"From my point of view, this is the best version of Shelley`s tale; I have seen Branagh`s, Whale's(and others) but they are all very far from the spirit of the novel... Per Oscarsson and Leon Vitali are fine on their roles... If you like the true Frankenstein, this is your movie....Beautiful landscapes; a very peacefully film... A must see."

The Only Frankenstein

William Rittenberg | Marina Del Rey, Ca. United States | 09/25/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This ladies and gentleman, is by far the only true cinematic telling of The Modern Promethies. I saw this film long ago on Captain USA on the USA network. I was awe struck to see the monster being shown as he was always suppose to be shown.
The long black hair, the yellow complextion, the deep sunken yellow eyes and the thin black lips. No flat head here folks. This is the way Mary Shelly described her creation! This masterpiece had almost every single scene straight out of the novel. It even had the scene where the creature murders Henry Clerval at the top of a cliff. Clerval liked to rock clime you see. No other version had that scene, not even Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. All that film had was Clerval screaming NOOOO! on the middle of the stair case in Frankenstein's home. We never find out what happenes to him. The only films closest to this one are: Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, Frankenstein Unbound, and Frankenstein: the true story. See this film (The Terror of Frankestein) ! It is the closest adaptation of the novel yet."